News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[Laketravis]

but what would be the point of that? A low to the ground gondola would still be subject to traffic and other obstacles...that is the whole point for elevating it to begin with...

Being able to move thousands of people an hour doesn't require any more height than what is needed to clear obstacles in the path. It will be interesting to see how high this ends up being over areas where there is nothing but ground beneath it.

 

[Bocabear]

well unless they have a clear path a foot off the ground to move those people, they are going to have to go up in the air...clear the streets, traffic, trees and buildings....there is no way to get from one park to another without crossing a street or traffic... they have to be raised to clear traffic...Honestly this is pretty obvious.

 

[danlb_2000]

well unless they have a clear path a foot off the ground to move those people, they are going to have to go up in the air...clear the streets, traffic, trees and buildings....there is no way to get from one park to another without crossing a street or traffic... they have to be raised to clear traffic...Honestly this is pretty obvious.

Yes, but some people are imaging something 40 or 50 feet off the ground, which would be far more then is needed to clear traffic. They could make it high enough to clear traffic and still be low enough to be hidden by the trees. The bottom of the gondolas don't need to be any higher then the monorail beam.

 

[Grimley1968]

well unless they have a clear path a foot off the ground to move those people, they are going to have to go up in the air...clear the streets, traffic, trees and buildings....there is no way to get from one park to another without crossing a street or traffic... they have to be raised to clear traffic...Honestly this is pretty obvious.

Yes, that is obvious, but that was addressed in a previous post:

I was actually thinking that way as well - perhaps we aren't going to see 30-50 foot towers with this. In fact, Disney could mitigate much of the safety risk and easily address other factors such as aesthetics by keeping the system very low to the ground, perhaps only a foot or so above, oh, let's say a gravel path? Even when having to rise above grade to clear obstacles like buildings and cross roads there could be supported paths directly beneath your feet. My bet is heavy emphasis on keeping everything as low to the ground as possible.

I, too, think any such system will be designed to be as low to the ground as possible, when possible, though maybe more than just a foot off the ground.

 

[No Name]

So what happens every single day in the summer when it starts lightening ?

Hopefully the gondola windows will be tinted.

 

[RustySpork]

Hopefully the gondola windows will be tinted.

Upcharge for private gondola access and mirror tint.

 

[Laketravis]

Upcharge for private gondola access and mirror tint.

Prototype gondola covers:

 

[EricPZ]

Can't legitimately rule this out

Yeah, I know it won't happen, but I'm all in favor of it.

 

[MisterPenguin]

So what happens every single day in the summer when it starts lightening ?

They turn off the lights and open the parks.

 

[lazyboy97o]

well unless they have a clear path a foot off the ground to move those people, they are going to have to go up in the air...clear the streets, traffic, trees and buildings....there is no way to get from one park to another without crossing a street or traffic... they have to be raised to clear traffic...Honestly this is pretty obvious.

What I don't think is obvious is that you are talking about the very bottom of the gondola being less than 20 feet above the ground. From the FDOT Greenbook:

C.7.j.4.(b) Vertical Clearance
Vertical clearance should be adequate for the type of expected traffic. Freeways and major arterials shall have a vertical clearance of at least 16 feet-6 inches (includes 6 inch allowance for future resurfacing). Other streets and highways should have a clearance of 16 feet unless the provision of a reduced clearance is fully justified by a specific analysis of the situation (14 feet minimum). The minimum vertical clearance for a pedestrian or shared use bridge over a roadway is 17 feet. The minimum vertical clearance for a bridge over a railroad is 23 feet; however additional clearance may be required by the rail owner.

 

[flynnibus]

I, too, think any such system will be designed to be as low to the ground as possible, when possible, though maybe more than just a foot off the ground.

Look at the picture again... do you really think Disney wants to create miles of complete obstruction like that everywhere? Oh, and fences along the entire path... because you have to create an exclusion zone to avoid people and ANIMALS from wandering into the path.

You can't have an automated system like that moving along where people, animals, or vehicles could wander into it's path. So the entire thing would have to be walled/fenced off. So now your pretty gondola ride is that of a wall/fence the entire time.

Do you still think they will make it run a foot or two off the ground?

 

[Laketravis]

But they could put pretty plywood cutouts all along the fence in the shape of hippos and alligators......oh, wait.

Seriously though - cost is the major consideration. I'm sure they won't put them up any higher than they need to.

 

[flynnibus]

But they could put pretty plywood cutouts all along the fence in the shape of hippos and alligators......oh, wait.

Seriously though - cost is the major consideration. I'm sure they won't put them up any higher than they need to.

And yet... look at how they built the monorail. Reasons that somehow people just don't want to accept...

 

[TimeTrip]

And yet... look at how they built the monorail. Reasons that somehow people just don't want to accept...

Why didn't they run the monorail at lower height? I figure it's because the monorails couldn't manage the grade of the hills for any reasonable height change that would mitigate the cost. The only place it might have made sense was the stretch to epcot, but that wouldn't have been such a short distance it probably made sense to keep it level.

Gondolas are much more flexible with height changes.

 

[Laketravis]

I think the design elements of the monorail had many more creative input components than sheer cost. It's a bit different environment now - today's mindset would probably run the monorail around the Contemporary rather than thru it, would build a roadway over a waterway rather than under it, etc...

 

[lazyboy97o]

While the Walt Disney World Monorail does soar rather high at the Contemporary Resort, the entire system is not that elevated.
Seven Seas Dr: 16'-8" Clearance
Vista Blvd: 18'-3" Clearance
Epcot Center Dr: 19'-7" Clearance

 

[flynnibus]

Why didn't they run the monorail at lower height?

Refer to the list of reasons gondolas are also not at ground level. Access, obstruction, safety.

It's as if you've never seen what a train's path does....

 

[Creathir]

While the Walt Disney World Monorail does soar rather high at the Contemporary Resort, the entire system is not that elevated.
Seven Seas Dr: 16'-8" Clearance
Vista Blvd: 18'-3" Clearance
Epcot Center Dr: 19'-7" Clearance

I'd be willing to bet these towers are at LEAST 50'-75' tall.

The lower to the ground, the more towers you need.

The more towers, the more engineered foundations in the swamp.

My gut says these will be 50'-75' above parking etc, then potentially 75'-125' above the open wilderness/swamp area and the CBR structures.

 

[Laketravis]

The lower to the ground, the more towers you need.....

Good point.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'd be willing to bet these towers are at LEAST 50'-75' tall.

The lower to the ground, the more towers you need.

The more towers, the more engineered foundations in the swamp.

My gut says these will be 50'-75' above parking etc, then potentially 75'-125' above the open wilderness/swamp area and the CBR structures.

Fewer, taller towers means greater dead and live loads in a concentrated point.